Escape route markings are of particular importance in emergency situations in which a power supply cannot always be guaranteed. It is known to arrange photoluminescent strips on the floor inside the airplane for escape route marking in airplanes, which is also called emergency marking. Photoluminescence is occasionally termed afterglow and/or phosphorescence. The safety-related requirements are specified for example in German Industrial Standard DIN 67 510. The strips are placed on the floor in a straight line and, in an emergency, indicate to passengers and the flight crew the path to ways out and emergency exits. In the past when designing airplanes, photoluminescent strips became increasingly prevalent because they are failsafe and can work without a power supply.
An emergency lighting, in which a photoluminescent strip is arranged in a transparent supporting element, is known for example from WO 96/33093 A1. The supporting element can thereby be designed as one, two or three pieces. Each supporting element has an elongated, rectangular shape and can be correspondingly laid in a 90° and 180° orientation with respect to another supporting element.
A photoluminescent reflector layer is known from WO 94/17766 A1. It is suggested to produce elongated strips from the planar material.
A photoluminescent escape route marking made of elongated strips is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,050. Arrows are provided as directional indicators for the marked escape route.
Directional indicators for the escape route are known from WO 87/02813 A1, which work with photoluminescent means and are arranged on the floor along the aisle of the airplane as individual unconnected arrows.
A continuous fluorescent layer is known from EP 0 489 561 A1, in which color pigments are incorporated in a polymer matrix. The fluorescent material can be incorporated in a carrier medium that lends the fluorescent light various optical properties by means of additional filters.
Safety signs provided with photoluminescent material are known from FR 2 308 155 A1.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,300 describes a composition for photoluminescent material that can be used on stairs and in street traffic.
An escape route marking for airplanes, which has an afterglowing, photoluminescent material that is laid on the floor in several elements, is known from WO 2008/110343 A1. At least one element has a bent shape.
EP 08 28 657 B2 describes an escape route marking that has two thin layers of photoluminescent material to increase the light emission. The light transmission through the photoluminescent material is changed by a printed or colored, partially transparent covering, or by a color filter below the covering.